Winter Maintenance Tips for your A/C & Heating System

While the winter months in Jacksonville, Florida are generally mild, there are typically a handful of days or weeks where temperatures are near freezing and homeowners turn to their heating systems for comfort. To ensure your system is in peak condition, regardless if you are using air conditioning or heating, it’s important to perform regular maintenance.

At-Home Maintenance Tips:

Before you begin any air conditioning maintenance project, be sure to turn off the power. On the compressor or condenser unit outside, look for an on-off switch. Inside, head to the breaker box and turn the power off to the A/C there.

Clear out debris: Outside, take a good look at the area around the compressor or condenser unit and remove any debris, leaves or trash that you see under or near it. Using a screwdriver, open the fan cage and use your hand or a shop vac to clean any items that are inside the unit.

Trim any foliage: It’s important that your air conditioning compressor has an adequate amount of air flow. If there are any plants, trees or bushes that have grown too close to it, they could block the airflow. Trim these far enough back so that they can’t interfere.

Change the filter:Hopefully, you’re changing the filters for your A/C unit that are inside your home on a regular basis. You should also take time to change the blower filter. Ideally, this filter should be changed at least two times each year. It’s important to replace the old filter with a new one that has the same airflow rating.

Clean the fins: From the inside of the condenser, use a shop vac or garden hose to remove the dirt on the fins of the unit. Fins that are extremely dirty can benefit from being cleaned with a commercial solution.